Over the past 50 years the gay rights movement in the United States
has made slow and steady advancements. In the first five months of 2013 there
has been tremendous momentum worldwide and in the United States. A timeline
look at key moments over the past 50 years will remind us where we’ve been and all
we’ve accomplished.
*In 1960 all 50 states had anti-sodomy laws, many of which targeted
intimate acts between persons of the same sex.
*In 1969 members of the gay community in New York riot after police
raid the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Greenwich Village frequented by homosexuals.
The demonstrations became a catalyst for the gay liberation movement.
*Between 1970-1973, courts in Minnesota, Washington, and Kentucky
rebuffed lawsuits filed by same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses.
*In 1986, 57% of Americans thought homosexual relations between
consenting adults should not be legal, while 32% believed they should be legal.
*In 1991, three gay couples in Hawaii challenged the constitutionality
of laws limiting marriage to one man and one woman. In 1993 the Hawaii Supreme
Court provisionally ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.
*In 1996 Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred
same-sex married spouses from obtaining the same federal benefits as
heterosexual married spouses.
*In 1996, 68% of Americans thought same-sex marriage should not be
legal.
*In 1997, Comedian Ellen DeGeneres announced she is gay on her TV
show.
*In 1998, Hawaii voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing
state lawmakers to ban same-sex marriage, which they did. Alaska voters passed
a similar amendment.
*In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the traditional
definition of marriage discriminates against same-sex couples. It gave the Legislature
the option of amending the law or creating a new institution that provided them
with the benefits of marriage.
*In 2000, after a divisive debate, the Vermont Legislature approved
the nation’s first civil-union law.
*By 2001, 35 states had provisions defending traditional marriage.
*In 2003, the US Supreme Court struck down a Texas anti-sodomy law,
decreeing that sexual conduct between consenting adults was off limits to
government regulation. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declared, for
the first time, that same-sex couples enjoy a constitutional right to marry.
*Between 2004-2006 eleven states passed measures or constitutional
amendments barring gay marriage.
*Between 2006-2007 High courts in New York, New Jersey, Washington,
Maryland, and Georgia rejected gay marriage.
*In 2008 High courts in California and Connecticut ruled in favor of
gay marriage. Passage of Proposition 8 overturned California’s court decision.
*In 2009 the Iowa high court ruled in favor of gay marriage.
*In 2010 Iowa voters rejected three high court justices up for
retention. Also, Congress repealed the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays
who served in the military.
*In 2012, 48% of Americans supported same-sex marriage, while 43%
opposed it.
*Now, in 2013, 9 states recognize same-sex marriage, while 41 do not.
Two gay marriage cases have come before the US Supreme Court.
Visibility and consciousness around gay rights is growing
exponentially. We are following in the footsteps of black rights and women’s
rights. It is our time to be given our human rights and, hopefully we will see
that happen this year!
Sources: Gallup, Pew Research Center, Michael Klarman, Harvard
University law professor
